The Court of International Trade on Sept. 2 declined to order the release of an importer’s entries that were detained by CBP on country of origin concerns, finding the uncertainty around its own contradictory line of cases on substantial transformation was a factor in denying the bid for a preliminary injunction.

The top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee said he thinks renewing the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act this month is very important. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, didn't say whether it could move as a suspension bill or as part of a continuing resolution package, but said either way, he would support it.

The International Trade Commission will begin an investigation on whether imports of blueberries from Mexico, Chile, Peru, Chile, Canada and Argentina are damaging domestic growers. The ITC will have until Dec. 30 to determine whether there is serious injury, and increased imports are at least as important as any other cause. According to the ITC, the injury requirement is considered to be more difficult than the one in antidumping and countervailing duty laws. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative requested the investigation -- only the second time USTR has initiated a safeguard investigation in 25 years -- and is also laying the groundwork for potential investigations into strawberries and bell peppers.

International Trade Today is providing readers with some of the top stories from Aug. 24-28 in case they were missed. All articles can be found by searching on the titles or by clicking on the hyperlinked reference number.

Market access negotiations needed to return India to the Generalized System of Preferences benefits program may be mostly “sorted out,” India's Economy Minister Piyush Goyal said in a speech to the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum Sept. 1. His office summarized some points about the deal, which was described as foundational, in a series of tweets. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer “and I agreed that we can look finalising before the election, but otherwise soon after the election,” he said. “The entire package is nearly ready and can be finalised at any time. India is open to signing tomorrow on what we have agreed on.”

FDA is moving forward with a pilot program to test the use of artificial intelligence in its import screening, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said Aug. 31 in a blog post on the agency’s website. FDA has successfully completed its first phase proof of concept that it began in spring 2019 (see 1903220030) to test AI machine learning technologies in import screening for seafood, and is now working to begin a second phase to test the concept in the field.

With a month left to go before the expiration of the Caribbean Basin Trade Partnership Act benefits program, some lobbyists are starting to worry that a renewal won't get done. Beth Hughes, vice president of trade and customs policy for the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said Aug. 31 that her organization has been contacting the trade staffers at the Senate Finance Committee and House Ways and Means Committee since April or May, reminding them that the expiration is coming up. About a month ago, the trade staffers from both chambers were telling her that while they are aware of the deadline, they wanted to make sure that the administration supports renewal.

More than half of all exclusions from list four Section 301 China tariffs are set to expire Sept. 1, after the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative declined to extend them in the run-up to their expiration. USTR granted extensions to 87 of the more than 200 list four exclusions published to date.

The U.S. will tighten quotas on Brazilian steel exports because the steel market has contracted in 2020, President Donald Trump said in a proclamation, issued at 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 28. Domestic producers have shipped 15% less across the first half of 2020 than in the previous year, which is more than the decline in demand, Trump said. Imports from most countries have declined this year in a manner commensurate with this contraction, whereas imports from Brazil have decreased only slightly, the proclamation said.

Daimler Trucks North America is raising alarms on changes to the steel and aluminum purchases requirement, the ability to use accumulation for regional value content with non-originating parts, and the treatment of returned goods within the USMCA. The company also identified ambiguities with the labor value content rule, and errors and omissions in tariff classifications in Note 11 that cause problems for compliance.